Alienware a51 Desktop

@Anonymous 

@GTS81 

@Cass-Ole 

@r72019 

I want to thank everyone for helping me choose the correct PC this time! The rig is large, and in charge. It has exceeded my expectations. This has to be the biggest bang for the buck as far as gaming PCs go. This thing came in the original Alienware box, and everything appears to be new. 

I have uploaded some pictures of it. They are probably in que waiting to be accepted. 

I don’t know even know where to start modding. I am now in need of a bigger desk. Because this A51 takes up a lot of space. 

I went ahead and purchased a 4 year warranty/ 24-7 tech support. $570. Probably worth it just for tech support to be honest. 

My only issue is the SSD is only 250 gig. I was thinking about removing this one, and installing a 2TB, and maybe getting a PCI -E housing adapter for the 250. I’m not really sure the best way to do it. But I will need a lot of SSD space as I play MMOs and need fast loading. 

@Cass-Ole 

@Bmwpower603 

WOW . . . I must admit I was a little concerned about "refurbished" . . . but that rig looks to be in beautiful condition . . . which is awesome!  Congratulations!

Have you determined if you have the 850 watt or 1500 watt PSU?

I did not mount that foot thing on the bottom. I think it is plenty wide enough to be stable without it. Also, since I need desk space, I got this short Aleratec stand to put it on next to the desk.

@Bmwpower603 : Great! That rig looks pristine and with a little tweaks on maybe the fans, you'll get a cool and quiet gaming experience. Or maybe it already is perfect now and you can enjoy playing games without tinkering with it more.

Yeah, more SSD space definitely needed. Maybe up the RAM too.

@Anonymous 

So the PSU is an 850 Gold. 

Should hold up to the 2080ti AIO. Not sure about the 3090 though

@GTS81 

I made my first upgrade today, to the Eco 970 plus m.2 1TB. Loading already feels a bit smoother, and faster. 

Do you guys recommend a heat sink for these? I took the thermal gel pad off the old one, and put it on the new one. 

I do not want to void the 5 year warranty on this chip. And I think if I added thermal pad to the top, the sticker with serial numbers needs to be removed. And if I leave it on, I think the sticker won’t show that information well if the thermal pad is ever taken off. 

I also ordered another Dell fan for the mid section. 

Future endeavors :

i9 9980XE CPU

x2 8gb 2666

rtx 3090 AIO or 2080ti AIO. Might have to upgrade to 1000w PSU?

PCI - E M.2 Adapter 

3440 x 1440 monitors

@Bmwpower603 :

If the m.2 SSD is exposed to air, it's just fine. You don't need to do anything to it.

Best to check RAM compatibility before you buy more to fill up them slots.

Yes there is actually air through the case. The case has static pressure, unlike the r9-r11! 

I think I’m going to bite the bullet on the 10980XE. Instead of the 9980xe. Ram speed goes to 2933. 

@Bmwpower603    Do you guys recommend a heat sink for these? I took the thermal gel pad off the old one, and put it on the new one. 

I like to have components as thermally protected as possible . . . even when it may be overkill or not necessary. That is why I moved my M.2 SSD off of the motherboard.

@Bmwpower603    Should hold up to the 2080ti AIO. Not sure about the 3090 though

Yes . . . I think 850 watt PSU is good for a RTX 2080 Ti

For the RTX 3090 I would go up to a minimum of 1000 watt PSU

@Bmwpower603   I think I’m going to bite the bullet on the 10980XE. Instead of the 9980xe.

@GTS81    But does your board support the 10980XE?

No . .  i9-9980XE is the top CPU that is supported by the Area 51 R5. Even with the X299 chipset and LGA 2066 socket . . . it would take a Dell BIOS update for the i9-10980XE to be supported. Let's ask  @r72019  what he thinks the odds are of a Dell BIOS update to support a next generation processor     

@Anonymous 

I can’t really complain I guess. The i9 9980XE should do the job for now. I’m not really sure why the i9 9900k that I had in my r9 shows better benchmarks than the 9980XE. 
 
I wonder how well the XE does, using Alienware Command Center OC. My 7800X doesn’t even show a difference when overclocked. 

Hopefully I can score an i9 9980XE on Black Friday, or cyber Monday!! Maybe some ram sticks as well. Does anyone know what the 9980XE supports for Ram speeds ? 

@Bmwpower603   Does anyone know what the 9980XE supports for Ram speeds ? 

It looks like  DDR4-2666 

@Anonymous 

:c